Digital Video

Understanding Analogue and

Digital Video
Lesson 1
Abstract
 Starting from analogue video, the problems
are described. Digital video is defined. The
major factors affecting digital video are
described. It is shown that compression is a
vital requirement. The factors to be
considered when choosing a compression
method are discussed. It is shown that the
discussion presented had to lead to a
standard.
Introduction
 This lesson presents an introduction to
the fundamentals of digital video.
 The Moving Pictures Experts Group
(MPEG) standard came about due to
the problems and ideas presented
here.
Introduction
 To understand digital video, we must first
understand that there is a difference
between video for broadcast television and
video for personal computers. Broadcast
professionals have, and will continue to,
demand high quality video. Their efforts and
requirements are responsible for many
advancements in the technology of digital
video. The definition of digital video for this
group varies from the one that is meaningful
to computer professionals.
Analogue Video
 Several methods exist for the transmission of video
signals. The earliest of these was analogue. In an
analogue video signal, each frame is represented
by a fluctuating voltage signal. This is known as an
analogue waveform. One of the earliest formats for
this was composite video.
 Composite analogue video has all its components
(brightness, color, synchronization information, etc.)
combined into one signal. Due to the compositing
(or combining) of the video components, the quality
of composite video is marginal at best. The results
are color bleeding, low clarity and high generational
loss.
Analogue Video
 Composite video quickly gave way to component
video, which takes the different components of the
video and breaks them into separate signals.
Improvements to component video have led to
many video formats, including S-Video, RGB etc.
 All of these are still analogue formats and are
susceptible to loss due to transmission noise
effects. Quality loss is also possible from one
generation to another. This type of loss is like
photocopying, in which a copy of a copy is never as
good as the original.
Defining Digital Video
 These limitations led to the birth of
digital video. Digital video is just a
digital representation of the analogue
video signal. Unlike analogue video
that degrades in quality from one
generation to the next, digital video
does not. Each generation of digital
video is identical to the parent.
Defining Digital Video
 Even though the data is digital, virtually all
digital formats are still stored on sequential
tapes. Although tape holds considerably
more data then a computer hard drive, there
are two significant advantages for using
computers for digital video : the ability to
random access the storage of video and to
also compress the video stored. There is
also the problem of transferring video from
tape to computer.
Defining Digital Video
 Considering these issues, digital video for
computers requires a different definition
than for traditional digital formats.
Computer-based digital video is defined as a
series of individual images and associated
audio. These elements are stored in a
format in which both elements (pixel and
sound sample) are represented as a series
of binary digits, or bits.
Defining Digital Video
 Previous attempts were made to find
the best procedure for capturing,
storing, transmitting and playing back
video from the computer desktop.
Unfortunately these attempts were of a
proprietary nature and resulted in
various formats and incompatibilities.
Defining Digital Video
 As a result, the International Standards
Organization (ISO) worked to define
the internationally accepted formats for
digital video capture, storage, and
playback.
Four Factors of Digital Video
 With digital video, four factors have to
be kept in mind. These are :
 Frame rate
 Spatial Resolution
 Color Resolution
 Image Quality
Frame Rate
 The standard for displaying any type of
non-film video is 30 frames per second
(film is 24 frames per second). This
means that the video is made up of 30
(or 24) pictures or frames for every
second of video. Additionally these
frames are split in half (odd lines and
even lines), to form what are called
fields.
Color Resolution
 This second factor is a bit more complex.
Color resolution refers to the number of
colors displayed on the screen at one time.
Computers deal with color in an RGB (red-
green-blue) format, while video uses a
variety of formats. One of the most common
video formats is called YUV. Although there
is no direct correlation between RGB and
YUV, they are similar in that they both have
varying levels of color depth (maximum
number of colors).
Spatial Resolution
 The third factor is spatial resolution - or in
other words, "How big is the picture?". Since
PC and Macintosh computers generally
have resolutions in excess of 640 by 480,
most people assume that this resolution
(VGA) is the video standard. It is not. As
with RGB and YUV, there is no direct
correlation between analogue video
resolutions and computer display
resolutions.
 A standard analogue video signal displays a
full, over scanned image without the borders
common to computer screens. The National
Television Standards Committee ( NTSC)
standard used in North America and
Japanese Television uses a 768 by 484
display. The Phase Alternative system
(PAL) standard for European television is
slightly larger at 768 by 576. Most countries
endorse one or the other, but never both.
Image Quality
 The last, and most important factor is
video quality. The final objective is
video that looks acceptable for your
application. For some this may be 1/4
screen, 15 frames per second (fps), at
8 bits per pixel. Other require a full
screen (768 by 484), full frame rate
video, at 24 bits per pixel (16.7 million
colors).